In light of the serious public order disturbances in Dublin City Centre on 23 November, I requested the Authority to look at the steps taken to implement the 2019 Garda Inspectorate report on Public Order Policing, including whether additional equipment, ICT, vehicles or training are needed, and if any changes to policies, procedures, or indeed the law are required.
As the Deputy will appreciate, the Policing Authority is an independent statutory body established under the Garda Síochána (Policing Authority and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2015. As Minister I have no role in the Authority's operations and am unable to direct the Authority in any operational aspects of its work. However, the Authority has noted that it is anxious to complete this work and that it hopes to provide indicative timelines to me in the coming weeks.
The Policing Authority may draw upon the expertise of the Garda Inspectorate in order to progress this work.